Penalties/Enforcement

Penalties/Enforcement

Penalties/Enforcement

On January 13, the Los Angeles City Council voted to double the reward the city offers to people who provide information leading to an arrest of a graffiti vandal. By a unanimous vote, the reward was increased from $1,000 to $2,000. The City Council raised this reward because they have seen a drop in rewards given out, so they want to encourage the public to report graffiti more.

Modesto police and code enforcement plan to install dozens of surveillance cameras around the city, in part to catch people responsible for covering Modesto's streets with graffiti. Police will install 32 surveillance cameras in areas most hit with graffiti, seven of which will be mobile and will rotate locations, according to a Modesto police lieutenant. The aim is to identify and eventually catch those behind it. Also, the city developed an app, called "Tag, we're on it!" through which residents can take pictures of graffiti, enter a location and send the information directly to the police department's graffiti cleanup crew. Even one large vandalized wall the crew cleans could cost thousands of dollars.

In West Valley, UT, seven graffiti artists have been charged with second degree felonies for doing illegal graffiti on private and public properties over the past 18 months, costing taxpayers and individuals thousands of dollars in cleanup. Police hope felony charges against this gang of graffiti artists will put an end to their habit of leaving their mark on private and public property. Last August another group of graffiti artists were charged with second degree felonies. Most are still fighting those charges, but one pleaded guilty and promised to pay UDOT $18,000 in restitution.

Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina signed into law a bill, House Bill 552, that makes graffiti vandalism a felony crime in certain circumstances. Specifically, a person who commits graffiti vandalism and all of the following 3 conditions is guilty of a Class H felony: 1) the person has 2 or more prior convictions under this section, 2) the current violation was committed after the second conviction for violation of this section, and 3) the violation resulting in the second conviction was committed after the first conviction for violation of this section.

In Australia, law enforcement have begun using electronic sensors called “mousetraps” to detect graffiti vandals and has led to 30 arrests. The sensors detect vapors from spray cans and markers while they are in use and alerts transportation authorities immediately.

The Nevada Assembly passed AB244, a bill that would require a person who commits graffiti vandalism is guilty of a category C felony if that person has previously been convicted two or more times of committing graffiti vandalism or has previously been convicted of a felony for such conduct. A class C felony charge carries a penalty of 1-5 years imprisonment.

The City of Detroit is considering two ordinances to tackle graffiti vandalism. The first is an ordinance that would require private property owners to clean up graffiti within one week or face a fine. The second ordinance would work with the Detroit Arts and Entertainment Commission to create more art initiatives for local artists. The City is also considering the development of a registry of street art for inspectors to ensure the accuracy of fines.

The Los Angeles City Council supported an ordinance that would double penalties for graffiti vandalism committed over murals from $250-$1000 to a range of $1000-$2000. This effort is in response to a number of the city’s murals being vandalized, and cleanup/restoration is more costly and takes longer than typical removal.

The city of Adelaide, Australia has installed security cameras to monitor gangs that commit graffiti vandalism on metro trains. The cameras provide live, instant feedback, and metro has invested in new camera technology that learns patterns and sends alerts when unusual behavior occurs. They also included sensors that detect when paint solvents are being used and an alarm is sent to the security control room.

The City of Spokane introduced a new program for reporting graffiti so that members of the public can use their smartphones to upload photos and identify locations of graffiti throughout the city. The new system is intended to allow people to help law enforcement in fighting graffiti vandalism.

The Committee on Public Safety in the Chicago City Council endorsed stronger penalties for people who commit graffiti vandalism, increasing fines from $750 to up to $2,500 for graffiti offenses. The full City Council is set to vote on this proposal on Wednesday, July 30.

The North Carolina State House has moved a bill to the Senate that would increase penalties for first offenses and make some vandalism crimes a felony. The bill was originally introduced in April 2014 in the Senate as part of an Omnibus bill with several Justice Amendments.

The City of Chicago has amped up enforcement efforts, with increased surveillance and video enforcement and arrests occurring at three times the rate of last year. CTA and Chicago Police are sending the message that graffiti vandalism is a serious crime.

San Francisco passed a graffiti ordinance that focuses on harsher penalties for perpetrators, allowing the City Attorney to file civil lawsuits against repeat graffiti taggers, fines, and helping those impacted by vandalism.